Christine John - Christine John Books

Short Story: The Fortune Teller

June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 Christine John

“Hey Mandy, do you want to get your fortune told?” asked Ray as he and Mandy walked casually through the fun fair. Every year the fun fair was held in Southall Park during the school’s half term. “Really? Where?” asked Mandy curiously as she looked around the fun fair. The young man pointed to a sign standing in front of a tent. “Over there. The sign says “Get your fortune told by Madame Zora”. “I don’t know, Ray. I really don’t think we should. I remember Pastor Benjamin preaching against…

Short Story: Bad Influence

June 18, 2022April 9, 2023 Christine John

Mrs. Baxter drew the curtains slightly so that she could look out the window. Her 16-year-old daughter Stephanie had snuck out of the house a couple of hours ago and Mrs. Baxter anxiously waited for her to come home. As soon as she spotted her daughter walking slowly towards the house, she opened the door and stood on the porch with her arms crossed. “Stephanie! Where have you been?” demanded the girl’s mother. “Do you know what time it is?” “Um, 10:30?” the girl asked nervously. “It’s midnight!” the mother…

Short Story: Dollar Man

June 6, 2022June 6, 2022 Christine John

Every morning was just the same as every other morning. Dollar Man sat by the gate of an old church and begged passers-by, mainly churchgoers, for a dollar. He always wore a raggedy old brown coat and a pair of worn-out, faded jeans. He always held in his hand a dirty plastic cup and the first thing he always said to anyone who passed by was, “Can you spare some change please?” If he were lucky, people would stop and drop some change into his cup. When the sun went…

Rewriting Your Book: Is it Worth It?

May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 Christine John

When you are in the process of writing a book, you may write a first draft, a second draft, and possibly many more drafts until you are satisfied that it is ready to be published. In this case, rewriting a book is most definitely a great idea because you want to make sure that your book has no spelling or grammatical mistakes, that it is formatted correctly, and that the images will be displayed clearly. You also want to ensure that your readers will understand and enjoy your book when…

Self-Publishing Checklist for Authors

May 16, 2022May 16, 2022 Christine John

To new and aspiring authors, self-publishing a book may seem like a difficult task if you’re not sure of the steps involved. I have self-published more than 13 books so I have been through the whole self-publishing process numerous times and have made a few mistakes along the way. To help you get your book from a manuscript to a finished product, I have compiled a self-publishing checklist that I use to launch and promote my own books. Hopefully, by following this checklist, you will avoid the mistakes I made…

What is Self-Publishing: Your Questions Answered

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 Christine John

For the month of May, my blog posts will be centered on self-publishing to promote my updated eBook Self-Publishing Success: How to Successfully Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book. If you are an aspiring new author and was interested in self-publishing your manuscript, then you have come to the right place. This post will answer the top six common questions about self-publishing. What is Self-Publishing? Self-publishing is the process of writing, editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, printing, and book marketing by an author without the help of a traditional publishing…

6 Self-Improvement Activities to Get Your Life Back on Track

April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 Christine John

Self-improvement is an ongoing journey we take to improve every area of our lives. Making improvements to yourself is the key to living your best life. Self-improvement helps you to perform better, stay focused on your goals, create more happiness, increase your confidence, and improve your overall mental health. Here are six self-improvement activities you can start to get your life back on track. 1. Set goals and spend time working on them. I know that you have heard this many times before, but setting goals helps you to focus…

From Death to Life: The True Meaning of Easter

April 11, 2022April 11, 2022 Christine John

Why do we celebrate Easter? For some, this holiday is about eating brightly decorated chocolate eggs, having Easter egg hunts, and the Easter bunny. But for Christians, Easter is the most important holiday of the year which marks the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While I was thinking about death and resurrection, I watched a YouTube video of a woman named Charlotte who was clinically dead for 11 minutes and then came back to life. She described her experience of leaving her physical body and being led to heaven…

What to do When You Don’t Feel Inspired to Write

March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 Christine John

There are times when I don’t feel like writing. It’s not because I don’t know what to write about, it’s because I don’t feel inspired to write. But one thing I have learned is that when it comes to writing, you can’t depend on your feelings. Here are five things you can do when you don’t feel inspired to write. Read articles that give tips on what you can do when you don’t feel like writing. That’s exactly what I did when I did not feel motivated to write. I…

Seven Things I did When I Hit Rock Bottom (And You Can do Them Too)

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022 Christine John

The way I was feeling a couple of weeks ago made it hard for me to write. I was staring at a blank page, trying to think about what my next blog post should be about, but I found it hard to concentrate. It wasn’t like I did not have anything to write about. I made a whole content calendar so that I would always have fresh content for my website. But I had no desire to write about any of the topics that I had listed. All I could…